This invention relates to a mineral winning plough, and in particular to a coal plough.
As is known, a coal plough is movable to and fro on a guide alongside the face of a longwall working. The guide is usually attached to a scraper-chain conveyor, and the plough has a plough body provided with cutters which strip coal from the face. The plough is driven to and fro by means of an endless drive chain attached to the plough body. The plough body is provided with groups of cutters at each end thereof, so that coal can be won in each direction of plough travel. The plough guide, which is constituted by a plurality of individual guide sections, houses upper and lower chain ducts which house the plough drive chain. The plough drive chain is connected to the plough body in the lower chain duct. Typically, the guide includes an inclined plate which projects towards the face and is braced against the floor of the working. This plate defines a guide track on which the heavy plough body runs. Usually, it also serves as a means for limiting the cut of the plough. (See GB-PS No. 1 459 980, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,035,025, 4,179,161 and 4,403,809).
Known ploughs are subjected to considerable wear as a result of sliding frictional engagement with their plough guides. The service life of known ploughs is, therefore, limited. When a plough body becomes worn, it has to be replaced in its entirety, and this involves considerable labour and time.
The aim of the invention is to provide a mineral winning plough which has improved wear-resistance properties, and an increased service life.